Senate President Pro Tempore

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Connecticut Senate Democrats Call for End of Forcibly Separating Migrant Children From Their Parents and Zero Tolerance Policy at Border

Members of the Senate Democratic Caucus sent the attached letter today to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Attorney General Jeff Sessions regarding the cruel and inhumane policy of forcibly separating migrant children from their parents when apprehended at the border.

The Honorable Kirstjen Nielsen
Secretary

Attorney General
The Honorable Jeff Sessions

Dear Secretary Nielsen and Attorney General Sessions:

We write to you regarding the cruel and inhumane policy of forcibly separating migrant children from their parents when apprehended at the border. We feel compelled to speak out against this heartless and unconscionable practice which runs counter to the very fabric of American society and Connecticut’s values.

This crisis is a tragedy of this administration’s own making, stirring the echoes of some of history’s darkest hours. And at what cost? The senseless trauma that these children are experiencing will have long and lasting effects. It is why this policy has been rightly condemned by the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, former first ladies of the United States, at least 75 former U.S. Attorneys, members of Congress and countless others.

Tearing families apart should not be the official policy of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. This policy has brought international shame to the United States. In Connecticut, we value immigrants, we have enshrined it in our laws and our public policy because we know that time and again America is at its strongest when we openly accept people from foreign lands; when we view immigrants not as competition, but as brothers and sisters in carrying forward the torch of liberty.

We demand that the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice immediately halt forcibly separating migrant children from their parents and end this zero tolerance policy for undocumented immigrants entering the United States.